Oil well tool



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on. WELL Toor.

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.|. LYNEs on. WELL TooL June 30, 1953 originalriled Nov. 15, 1943 7 sheets-sneu e inn-lull!" iwf .HT /1 L INVENT0R.`v I Jox/N INAS. 2@ we rra/P/vs'y.

June-30, 1953 J. LYNES` 2,643,723Y

OIL WELL TOOL Griginal Filed Nov. 15, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 :s l l ...x M7 e Z7 55 IlL 581 53 S 3G I w52? Z5 ,5 v Figl' L sl y l INVENTOR.

Patented June 30, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT NOFFICE oir. WELL TOOL Y John L'yi'es, Houston, Tex., assignor to Lynes, Inc., a corporation of rIexas egminution or applicationpserial No. 510,293, November 15, 1943. ThisA application December 11, 1947, SerialNo. 791,120

1 Claim.

The invention relates to a combination testing and treating tool for wells wherein the tool is provided with a port for permitting equalizing of pressure in the tool With that in the well bore as the tool is being lowered into the well boro.

The present invention relates in general to a type of toolas illustrated in my .prior Patents 2,227,729-30-31, dated January l'7, 194Land my copending application Serial No. 65,843, flied December 1'7, 1948, and issued as Patent No. 2,611,437, for a High Pressure Inflatable Packer.

This application is a continuation of my prior copending application, Serial No. 510,293, vfor an Oil Well Tool, filed November 15, 1943, nowA abandoned. l

An object of the invention is to provide a port at the lower end of the testing and treating tool through which fluid from the well bore may enter the tool and supporting pipe, maintaining equal internal and external pressure while the to-ol is being lowered into the well bore. This port is also used for circulating fluid throughthe supporting pipe and tool in and out of the well bore, which action is essential in that it pre vents the fluid from congealing,v eliminating freezing of the tool and supporting pipe in the well bore. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a foot valve for testing and treating tools which can be opened or closed by ther'aising or lowering of the tool as a whole or the control .of the tool individually.Y

Other and further objects of 'the invention will be readily apparent when the'iollowing descripthe to'ol for circulation Vin vthe well bore there- 5 above. l

Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14 makeup 5a sectional View of the tool after it has been manipulated to open the tool 'to the 'isolated 'formation between the packers.

Fig. 15 is a section taken o'n the line l5`|5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 16 is a section taken on the line lli-I6 0f Fig. 17. y

Figs. i7, 18 and 19 'make up an assembly View of the entire construction with the tool in the well bore inflated and accomplishing a testing or treating operation.

Fig'. 20 shows a small view of the drag cage in open position as the tool-is removed from the Well.

Having r'eferenee vto Figs. 1'? to 19 inclusive, a well bore l2 has been illustrated Yas having the surface casing 3 therein extending a short distance into the well so fas to support and be closed by the well head 4. The major portion of the well is not cased. The rotary table v5 by which the well is being drilled is show-n as disposed on the derrick floor l and deposited on the rotary table is the control head 77 by which the tool of the present invention is manipulated. This control head includes a spider 98 which is mounted on the pistons S arranged in hydraulic cylinders l. The pumps H are arrangedto pump liquid into the cylinders It so as to control the elevation of the spider '8. A valve |32 can be used to adjust the flow. kA gauge I3 Ais adjustably ar. ranged so that'suitable indicia on the rod I4 ywill enable the operator to determine the amount of movement which has been imparted to the operating ,pipe l5 which extends down into the well bore.

-A swivel IG is 'mountedon the top `of the operating pipe and a Christmas tree assembly I1 provides forthe inflow or outflow of liquid to the well, thus the connection IB may lead to a test p-it where vany How vfrom the well may be examined. The connections ZOmay be attached to a suitable supply of liquid under pressure such as drilling Huid, water or air which may be `vcirculated into the well bore through the tool and discharged `from the outlet i9 on the casing head ll if the well is to be washed. These ow lines 2U may also connect to a Suitable source I of cement, treating acids, or the like which are to be injected into the well b-ore. If desired, this Christmas tree assembly can be removed at the ange 2| so that swabbing action can be carried o'n in the 'wellthrough the'tool by lowering a swab, pump Vor other 'levice through the manipulating pipe-I5. y K

In operation the parts of the toolwill be as'- svembled 'as seen in Figs.- 1 to 5 inclusive 'and will then be lowered into/the welllb'zre by adding additional sections of the Operatingpipe 'l5 until the tool arrives 'at the elevation of .aiformation such as the formation25 in Fig. 1'8 which is to be tested or treated. A suitablefswivel '30'is shown asconnecting the Vcontrol pipe 3l with operating pipe l5 so that if desired the operating pipe I5 may be rotated in the well bore by turning the rotary table 5 due to the fact that such pipe is suspended in the slips 21 in the spider 8. Such rotation prevents the operating pipe from becoming stuck in the mud or other liquid in the well.

The control pipe 3| is normally held in raised position with respect to the housing 50, by the provision of a coil spring 32 best seen in Fig. l where the guide lugs 29 on the pipe limit such movement by engaging the top of the housing 50. In this position the port 36 in the lower end of the housing 5U is open so that as the tool is lowered into the well bore the pressure inside and outside of the tool will be equalized. This port 3:3 is uncovered during the lowering operation due to the fact that the drag cage 35 which is arranged about the lower end of the housing is urged upwardly by the drag springs 36 which engage the face of the well bore as the tool is lowered as seen in Fig. 5.v

When the tool arrives at the elevation where it is to be set the Well maybewashed or conditioned by circulating a desired liquid through the tool and up the well bore. A slight raising of the tool will cause closing of the ports S due to the drag of the springs 36 on the face of the formation. The drag cage 35 will remain stationary so that the port 34E is pulled up inside of the head 31 of the cage. In this manner the tool is completely closed. The sliding movement of the cage is limited by the collar 3S on the lower end of the housing.

When the ports 3d are thus closed, pressure can be applied through theoperating pipe i5' by pumps at the surface so that there will be a ilow of liquid into the control pipe 3i and through the central passage 39 thereof.

As seen in Fig. 2 the control pipe has a series of slots or ports 4G which are arranged to be aligned with the ports 4i in the upper' packer d2 so that when pressure is applied through the passage 39 that this pressure will now into the inside of the packing element d3 of the packer 42. This pressure tends to expand the packing element to the position shown in Fig. 9 wherein the face 4d of the packing element has moved into sealing position with the face 45 of the formation of the well bore. This contact provides a seal over a considerable area as seen in Figs. 'i8 and 19 and this pressure applied to inflate the packer must of necessity exceed the pressure in the well bore due to the Weight of the column of liquid in the bore.

The lower packer 4T is likewise iniiated during this operation due to the fact that the ports 48 in the control pipe are arranged in alignment .with the ports 49 in the lower packer as best seen in Fig. 4.

Thus when the pressure is applied the upper packer 42 and the lower packer il will both be simultaneously inflated as seen in Figs. '7 and 9 respectively.

Once the packers are inflated, the housing 53 is firmly anchored in the well bore and by adjusting the controlhead 1 by manipulation of the hydraulic pumps Il or the valve I2, the control pipe can be manipulated by raising and lowering the operating pipe I5. .It will be noted that the control pipe 3l extends entirely through the tool or rather, entirely through the housing 5G which constitutes the support for the packers 42' and 41.

The housing 50 is thus made up of the following parts reading from top to bottom, the circulating nipple 52 as seen in Fig. l, the upper 4 packer mandrel 53 seen in Fig. 2 and the top of Fig. 3, the flow nipple 5I which is threaded to the upper packer mandrel at 5d, and the lower packer mandrel 55 which is threaded at 56 to the flow nipple 5l. This lower packer mandrel extends on through the lower packer and car-- ries the ports 34 heretofore described and is closed by the head 38 as seen in Fig. l0.

With the packers inflated as seen in Figs. 7 and 9 the control pipe will now be lowered a short distance so as to move the ports to and Q8 out of alignment with the upper packer port 4i and the lower packer port 49 respectively. The control pipe thus moves down to the position shown in Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive. This movement of the ports i0 and i8 away from the packer ports closes the packers and traps therein the liquid under pressure so as to hold or provide a hydraulic lock to maintain the packers initiated. The downward movement of the control pipe will be such that the circulation ports E3 will move into alignment with the ports fifi in the circulating nipple 52 at the top of the tool as seen in Fig. 6. This opens the tool to the 4well bore ahove the packers which have been set so that the heavy drilling mud or other liquid in the drill pipe and well bore may be wholly or partially replaced with the other liquid if desired.

The heavy drilling mud is usually provided in the well bore to overcome the formation pressure and keep the well from blowing out, but now that the formation pressure is blocked oil by the packers, the heavy drilling mud may be removed if desired.Y Preferably, however, it is merely conditioned at this stage of the operations so as to prevent it from gelling in such a manner that it would hinder the manipulating of the pipe l5 or cause it to become stuck. It may be desirable to wash the mud or other liquid out of the operating pipeand the tool so as to reduce tho weight of the column of liquid inside of the tool: Thus, for instance, if the intention is to use the tool to take a test of the formation it is desirable whenthe tool is opened to have a pressure inside of the tool less than the weight of the column of drilling mud which has been theretofore applied against the formation. For instance, water may be circulated down through the manipulating pipe i5 and out through the circulation ports 58 and 59 into thewell bore. The volume of liquid to be introduced can be ca1culated so as to advise the operator when the mud has all been discharged into the well bore. Thus if the drilling mud being used had a specific gravity of two and was replaced by water having a specic gravity of one, the pressure on the face of the'formation when the tool was opened would be reduced one-ghalf.

Another use of these circulating ports is to introduce a treating liquid into the tool. For instance, if an acid is to be introduced into the formation, or if the formation is to be cemented on, the acid or cement, as the case may be, can be pumped down through the operating pipe in the desired amount with the ports 58 and 59 open, so that anyliquid in the operating pipe will be discharged into the wellbore and replaced with the liquid which is to be injected into the formation. As" before, the desired volume can be computed and pumped into place until the operator knows that the well liquid has been displaced down to the elevation of the ports 58 and 59.

This operation with Athe circulating ports 58 opened as seen in Fig. 6 is a conditioning operation to preparethewell for theuseof the tool.

With the tool and-the wellbore thusv condi-v tioned the next step is to manipulate the control head 'l so as to lower the operating and control pipes an additional distance so that the parts will assume the position of Figs. 11 to '14 inclusive wherein the ports as seen in Fig. ll'have beenmoved away from the ports 59 sothat the tool is closed in so far as the well bore above and below the packers is concerned. This additional movement, however, causes the control ports 60 to move into alignment with the ow vnippleports 5l as best seen in Fig. 13. This operation opens the tool to the formation 63 which has been isolated by the upper and lower packers being set in position.

If a test is to be performed,Y the opening of the tool relieves the pressure vwhich is present in the well bore between` the packers andallo-ws such pressure to equalize with the pressure inside of the tool. If the pressure i-n the formation 63 exceeds that of this equalized pressure and there is any liquid or gas present in the formation, there willbe a flow through the ports 6i and 69 into the central lpassage 39 in the con-r trol pipe 31. The operator can in many instances listen at the top of the well bore and tell whether there is an inflow of fluid by the sound in the pipe. Of course, if the operating pipe is full of water or other liquid and there is an inflow at the bottom, there will be an equivalent discharge at the top. On the other hand, if the pressure due to the column of liquid in the operating pipe should exceed the pressure in the formation, a swab, pump, introduction of air or gas or any other device or procedure may be used in the operating pipe to remove or unload some or all of the liquid. In. this manner there will be a reduction of the pressure at the ports @u so as to encourage an inow from the formation. if desired a suction may even be created at the port 50 by hailing or otherwise removing all of the liquid. from the pipes.

If it is desired to trap a sample of the fluid from the formation it is only necessary to operate the control head 1 to raise the control pipe and close the ports BI, thus trapping whatever sample has been obtained within the tool and the operating pipe; The sample mayfl'owto the surface due tc formation pressure but it may be necessary to circulate this sample to the surface. The control pipe may be manipulated to open the circulating ports 58 by moving. it to the position of Fig` 6. Pressure exerted through the return pipe i9 would cause a downilow in the well and an upf-low through the operating pipe so that any sample obtained could be circulated to the surface if desired without releasing. the tool. The tool, however,k could be released, moved to another locationand reset by following the practice heretofore outlined, or the tool could be removedV to the surface to retrieve the sample.

In event a treating operation is to be performed, the treating liquid, if it has been already circulated down to the tool through the operating pipe, can be forced into the formation as soon as the tool is opened and any desired pressure or volume applied. After the treating operation has been completed, it is usually desirable to remove the 'treating liquid from the tool and equipment as quickly as possible. This is particularly true if a cementing or acidizing operation has been carried out so as to avoid setting of the cement or corrosion of the equipment'. The treating liquidlcan .be swabb'ed from the operating pipef-'-asl.-h;eretofore.fdescribed,` or theI control Ypipefcanf bei moved"` to the position of Fig; 6 and the treating-materi'al circulated Vout of the operati-ng pipe-'by reversing the circulation i If lit is intended Iinthetreating operation to maintain a pressure on the formation for any particular periodas is the-practice in squeeze cementing, thecon-trol pipe` can be moved to close. the ports -Giwhile retaining the tool in position-so as Atc-maintainV theA applied pressure upon the formation while keepingv the packers locked.

In some instances,- if it is desired that the tool. becleaned, by openingzcirculation at the base of the tool the control pipe can'be moved to re-v lease fthe liquid locked inthe packers and then a slight movement either up or down of the housing would cause'i-t to slide through the drag cagey so 'that the head 31 'will uncover-the ports Min" the bottom" and circulation could then-be estab'- lished in either direction -through the. well and the operating pipe; When the-'tool is raised to be removed from thewellthe drag cage 35'slides against thev stoprcollar 38tovopen the tool. 1

It will be noted from Fig; 10k that-the lower end' of the control-piper Si-also covers the ports 3d when the'toel isibeing usednY Broadly the tool-contemplates lan arrange ment which is` susceptibleto various adjustments: so as to cope with all situations which might be encountered in a well bore. For instanca-should the packers not deflate when they are unlocked,

, the pressure could` be pumped through the ports @si into-the well bore below thev packer in an at tempt to force the packers to unlock.

Various detailsl of the. tool are shown in my prior patents and pending: application, but one' of the features which has Abeen found to lend itself to the successful assembly and operation of the tool is the arrangement'of the packing rings such as 'ishown-.inFig 1. Taking the tool as a whole, there are-forty of these sealing-y rings TU di'sposedin the: periphery 1l of the control pipe 3i. Each of these packingsis de-y posited in a groove 'l2 formed in the` periphery of the control' pipey sothat the packing'ring 10" in each groove will be seated in position substantially iiush with they periphery ofthe pipe and arranged to provide a seal With-the inside: surface ofthe housing of. theV tool.

It has been found that it isv desirable to pO-f sition these packing' rings in recesses on the periphery of the operatingv pipe rather than attempt to place them in inside groovesv on the inside of the housing, first because the grooves- 'l2 can be more readily machined on an outside surface and! because the condition of each of the packing rings l' can be` inspected just prior to the time whenit is inserted inside` ofA the housing; It hasxbeen found that when the packing rings are thus deposited on the periphery of the control pipe that they will work up and down in an entirely satisfactory manner Without cutting or damaging when they pass over the various ports in the housing. The correct construction and arrangement of these sealing rings is important so as to provide a seal and prevent leakage or damage to the parts of the tool. A substantial advantage is thus obtained because the control pipe can be readily removed to inspect the packing rings and replace the same, while if the packing rings are placed in grooves, machined on the inside of the mandrel. it is dilcult to insert the control pipe or to inspectthe packings.

It is not believed necessary to travel all the way down the control pipe pointing out the exact function of each of these packing rings, but it should suffice to point out that one or more of such rings constituting a set is positioned adjacent each side of each of the ports in the control pipe, so that every port or opening is sealed in either open or closed position.

It seems obvious that a very careful adjustment of the tool can be had in order to manipulate it to obtain the desired results. One feature which lends itself to such operation is the provision of the swivel connection 30 because the raising and lowering of the operating pipe while it is under torque avoids any inaccuracy due to the stretching and variation in the length of the pipe. The fact that this control pipe has been moved the required distance for any particular operation is shown on the indicia rod I4 but there will also be an indication to the operator as to the opening or closing of the Various ports due to the building up or the release of the liquid in the operating pipe. A pressure gauge on the inlet and the outlet lines will instantlyindicate such changes.

The operation of the tool has been set forth as the description was given, but it might be mentioned that the particular construction of the packer-anchoring construction is somewhat similar to that described in detail in my copending applications. Y

The packer construction does embody some deviation from that previously stated and by having reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the inner seal tube or liner layer of rubber or other material 80 carries a ring 8| on its inner surface which is provided with a plurality of seal rings 82 to form a seal with the periphery of the packer mandrel 53, that spaced outside of and confining the upper end of this liner layer 88 is the inner packer support skirt 83 which is threaded at 84 into a coupling or packer head 85 which forms part of the housing. This skirt 83 tends to support the ends of the reinforcing strands 86 which, it will be noticed, eX- tend over the enlargement El on said skirt and likewise into the recess [88 where the ends are confined by a retainer ring 89 which retainer ring is locked in position with the hold down ring 90. The outer layer of packing material 9i overlies the reinforcing strands 86 and the rings at the end and is itself aiiixed to an outer skirt 92 which is locked with the ring 93. When pressure is introduced into the packer the liner layer first expands and provides a, seal to retain the pressure liquid.

This arrangement of structure has been found to be particularly desirable in that it securely anchors the packing rubber against displacement and in actual tests by the manufacturers,

a packerv end constructed as herein described withstood a pressure inexcess of ninety-one hundred poundsi per square inch.

The lower end of each of the packers is anchored to a sliding head 94 which has the packing rings 95 to provide a seal about the packer mandrel 53. This lower head 94 carries the inner and outer skirts 83 and 92, respectively, the same as the head or coupling as seen in Figs. 3 and 7. When the packer is expanded this lower head will slide upwardly as the packer expands so that the parts assume the position shown in the lower part of Fig. 7 and the upper part of Fig. 8, where this lower head 9G has moved away from the flow nipple or coupling El due to the expansion of the packer in diameter and the contraction of it in length.

Broadly the invention contemplates a combination testing and treating tool where the packers are hydraulically inflated, the tool oapable of almost any desired operation in connection with treating, testing, cementing or squeezing in a well bore; the structure and arrangement of said tool being such that pressures in the well bore and in the tool may be equalized.

What is claimed is:

A well packer tool comprising a hollow 0perating control pipe, a housing about said pipe and slidably mounted on said pipe, an inflatable packer carried by said housing, there being an opening in said pipe for communicating with the interior of said packer for inflation and delation thereof, said pipe having an opening in the lower end thereof below said packer, a head slidably mounted on said pipe below said packer for covering and uncovering said port in the lower end of said pipe, drag spring means on said head for engaging the wall of the well as the tool is lowered vto maintain said head in a position on said pipe to uncover said port as the tool is lowered into the wall, said spring means acting to retard movement of said head relative to said pipe as the tool is raised in the well so as to cover said port in the lower end of said pipe.

J OHN LYNES.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,959,660 Edgecomb May 22, 1934 2,143,106 Freedlander Jan. 10, 1939 2,143,251 Savitz Jan. 10, 1939 2,222,846 Johnston Nov. 26, 1940 2,227,729 Lynes Jan. 7, 1941 2,227,730 Lynes Jan. 7, 1941 2,227,731 Lynes Jan. 7, 1941 2,254,060 Crickmer Aug. 26, 1941 2,390,372 Johnston et al Dec. 4, 1945 2,611,437 Lynes Sept. 23, 1952 

